The Intruders crash investment banking awards dinner

09 October 2012 | 7177 views | 1

A group of protesters who gatecrashed a banking innovation awards dinner last week to present Barclays Bank with a prize for 'innovation in interest rate manipulation' have posted video footage of the stunt on YouTube.

The awards dinner run by The Banker magazine is billed as 'the Oscars of the investment banking industry'. In a pre-amble to the escapade, the activist group - known as the Intruders - note that virtually every bank in the room was involved in illegally colluding to rig Libor.

"When we noticed that this money-spinner had been overlooked in the ceremony, we decided to show up and make sure the Libor-riggers got the recognition they deserve."

The video shows members of the group taking to the stage at the Sheraton Hotel in Mayfair to present Barclays with a bottle of Bollinger for its involvement in the Libor-rigging scandal.

The footage shows some members of the audience laughing and clapping at the stunt, while bewildered bankers on the Barclays Capital table look on sheepishly.

The Intruders are rushed off stage and locked in an adjacent room by hotel staff, but make good their getaway through an open fire escape.

A statement on the Intruders website reads: "Behind the closed doors of Mayfair hotels and Oxford colleges, the wealthy elite that caused the economic crisis celebrate their continued success over champagne and cosy dinner parties. Meanwhile, the rest of us face falling living standards, a bleak job market and decimating cuts to public services."